


Not Without You

by MalevolentMagpie



Series: Voltron/She-Ra One-Shots [1]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018), Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adora as Shiro, Alternate Universe, Catra as Keith, Curse Breaking, Dark Adora (She-Ra), Declarations Of Love, Devotion, Enemy Lovers, Episode: s06e05 The Black Paladins, F/F, Love Confessions, Loyalty, Mind Control, One Shot, POV Catra (She-Ra)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:07:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26337718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MalevolentMagpie/pseuds/MalevolentMagpie
Summary: Alternate-universe, crossover one-shot of VLD Season 6, Episode 5: The Black Paladins.Instead of Keith and Shiro and the rest, Adora and Catra find themselves appointed paladins of Voltron, and leading the rebellion against an evil emperor and his powerful witch. But Shadow Weaver’s latest spell proves exceptionally effective, capitalizing on the most powerful weapon the rebellion has - Adora and Catra’s devotion to each other.
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Series: Voltron/She-Ra One-Shots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1913854
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Not Without You

“Adora, please! I know you’re in there,” Catra cried desperately, narrowly dodging the great metal beam that crashed down between the two women. Her heavy panting fogged up the inside of her helmet, so she flung it off. Sweaty strands of her shaggy brown mane stuck to her cheeks. The barrier the beam provided would only delay Adora for a few moments, but at this point Catra would take what she could get. She was utterly exhausted, beaten, battered. Whatever had taken ahold of Adora, had given her unnatural strength and stamina. Catra wouldn’t be able to hold out for much longer.

“You made a promise once,” Catra grit out, clenching her teeth against the pain in her side. “You told me you’d never give up on me.”

“And I should have abandoned you, just like Shadow Weaver did. She saw that you were broken. Worthless. I should have seen it too.”

At one point, Catra knew, those words, coming from the one person that ever mattered, would have defeated her. They were all her worst fears and insecurities, everything the real Adora knew could hurt her the most. But Catra was no longer that scared girl. The friendship, love, and support she had come to know - in great part due to Adora herself - had taught her to believe in herself and others. Believe that she was worthy of love, no matter who entered and left her life. 

“I’m not leaving here without you,” she replied calmly. 

Adora stared back, eyes glowing strangely purple and sporting a twisted grin that Catra had never before seen on the usually sweet and open face. “Actually Catra, neither of us are leaving.”

Behind her, the great spiral tower that powered the orbiting station lit up, sparks flying as it overcharged. A great tremor ran across the metal beneath their feet. Adora lifted the great golden broadsword above her head as it likewise began to glow with a sickly purple light. Brighter it glowed, and brighter, until the energy appeared to flow into Adora herself.

With an agonizing scream she sank to her knees, shaking violently but still helplessly grasping the sword. It was as if the blade had a mind of its own. Adora lifted it (or  _ it  _ lifted her arm) straight up once more with a painful cry, and a burning beam shot forth from its tip and out into the void of space, cleaving through the station’s structure in a destructive arc as Adora struggled to control the sword’s immense power.

Exhausted as she was, Catra leapt from platform to platform, narrowly escaping death as the beam cut through the floating station’s foundations. Entire sections broke off and fell, captured by the planet’s gravitational pull once they were no longer attached to the stationary craft. One last effort, and Catra managed to land cat-like on one of the larger platforms. Chest heaving, cheeks flushed from the exertion, she rolled over and collapsed onto her back. Each frantic gulp of air burned her lungs; she was already feeling lightheaded and disoriented. She didn’t have any more in her. 

Behind her, Adora landed with a powerful thud. She was all purpose and predatory grace as she stalked towards her, glowing blade in hand, and if Catra had not been utterly wrung out both physically and emotionally, she might have spared a thought to admire the beautiful figure that Adora always struck, even now - mind-controlled and trying to murder Catra. 

_ Come on, get up, _ Catra chastised herself. But her trembling muscles wouldn’t obey. All she could do was watch as Adora stopped above her, that unnatural violet glow still blazing in her eyes.

Adora raised her sword, a finality to her movement that had Catra at long last reaching for her hip blade. With an enraged cry, she swung down, metal clashing against metal when Catra blocked with her own blade. 

It was merely delaying the inevitable. Catra’s arms shook violently from the effort of holding back Adora’s sword mere inches from her face. She knew she couldn’t last much longer, and more importantly she knew that she could never win this fight, had never stood a chance. Because at the end of the day, mind-control or no, life or death be damned, Catra’s entire being was utterly incapable of harming Adora. Shadow Weaver knew it. That was precisely why she had chosen the two women, they who of all the rebels shared the strongest connection to each other. They were each other’s complete weakness. One would never be able to effectively defend themselves if it meant hurting the other, and one without the other would be utterly devastated. It would be the end of the rebellion’s leadership. 

Catra strained beneath the blade, sweat clinging to her brow even as she clung to the last dregs of strength she could summon. Images flashed through her mind: a young Adora running through the halls with her, facing Shadow Weaver’s wrath together after sneaking out past curfew, sneaking into each other’s bunks after a nightmare and whispering promises to stay together forever, and then a more recent memory. A warm look and a shy smile under the shade of the Whispering Woods, a telltale blush on Adora’s cheeks, and the blooming hope in Catra’s chest of what this could mean...

“Adora, please,” Catra gasped in pain. “You’re my sister… I love you!”

For a moment, the spell seemed to break. Adora’s eyes flew wide in surprise. Then with a snarl she was back.

“Just let go, Catra. You don’t need to fight anymore. By now, the Princesses are already gone - I saw to it myself.”

Catra struggled, arms shaking madly, but inch by inch Adora’s blazing blade came closer and closer to her face until she felt the skin of her cheek sizzle from its proximity. The blaring pain cut through her mind, blanking out all thoughts except the thought of getting away, and the next moment the whole world was thrown into sharp focus in Catra’s eyes. As if in slow-motion, she felt herself slide her blade down towards the hilt of Adora’s greatsword, catching it, then in one fluid movement she turned and drove her shoulder up, sending Adora stumbling back without her sword. 

Catra immediately kicked the cursed blade away and hurried to Adora’s side. 

The moment her sword had left her hand, Adora had screamed in pain. Now Catra watched the sickly purple glow evanesce from Adora’s eyes, and the familiar pale blue take over once again. She blinked once, twice, then fell to her knees clutching her head and moaning in pain. 

“C- Catra?” she whispered.

The platform gave a shuddering groan and dropped a foot or two, knocking Catra back and to the ground. She crawled over to Adora, pulling her into a tight embrace.

“Shh, it’s okay now, it’s okay. I’m gonna get you out of here.”

With a nod, Adora closed her eyes and pitched forward, unconscious, into Catra’s arms. Once again, the platform creaked loudly, then finally tipped to the side with a great metallic shriek, sending both paladins tumbling down. Catra held on tight to Adora with one arm, using the other to drive her blade into the platform’s surface and catching them both just before they slid off and fell into the fiery planet below. All around them, the wreckage of the orbiting station rained down towards the planet’s surface. This one platform, suspended by three thick cords, was all that kept Catra and Adora from joining the rest of the station. This one platform, and the strength of Catra’s grip on her blade - a grip which was proving harder to hold with every passing second. 

Catra looked down at Adora hanging limply by one arm where Catra clutched her by the wrist. The blade cut through the metal of the platform another few inches, and they both slipped closer towards their end. Catra knew. She didn’t have the strength to hold them both there indefinitely. She could  _ maybe  _ gather enough strength to hoist herself up towards safety, if she let go of Adora. It was then that she realized this truly was the end, because she knew one more thing, and that was that she could never in this or any lifetime let go of Adora. 

The rebellion be damned. Voltron be damned. They could find new leaders, make their way. But for Catra, life without Adora was a fate worse than death. She would rather go now, together, than see the sun rise on a single day with Adora gone from this universe. 

The platform lurched; the movement knocked Catra’s grip from her blade. Both women tumbled down through open space, caught in the planet’s gravity, and still Catra held onto Adora’s arm, willing herself to look only at the comforting image of Adora’s soft expression instead of the impending destruction all around them. The shadow of a giant, falling piece of debris passed by them then, casting Adora’s face awash in the glow of the planet’s fiery surface. She lit up like gold. She was beautiful. Catra decided it was a good way to go after all, with this view. And she closed her eyes so it was the last thing she ever saw. 

THE END.

**Author's Note:**

> Those who have watched Voltron Legendary Defender know this isn’t the end for our two heroes, but it probably is the end for this one-shot. Just know that they do make it out of this alive, and in MY Season 8 they stay happily together forever and ever.


End file.
